Heat is continuously flowing from a hot geyser to the surrounding air, in the same way that a coffee mug cools down from when you start with a hot cup, and return 15 minutes later to a cool cup!

It takes a large amount of energy to heat water, so the less you have to heat the better, and the lower the temperature you heat it to the better.

South African SABS rules do not demand energy efficiency, so the insulation around the geysers is inadequate to keep the heat in. You do not notice this because the thermostat turns the geyser element on again when the temperature drops about 7 deg C.

A 200 litre geyser currently wastes up to 3 kWh per geyser per day on keeping your geyser at the temperature you need in between uses. This is the equivalent of boiling 20 kettles extra per day.

 

A timer can save you most of this loss.

 

The Geyserwise timer replaces your existing thermostat with an electronic probe that shows you the temperature in your geyser. This means that you can instantly see the water temperature. You can also set the hot water temperature by pushing a button.

The old thermostats  required you to climb into your roof, open the electrical cover on the geyser, change the setting, wait to see if is too high or too low, then readjust as necessary.

The timer shows you the time and day of the week, the water temperature and if the element is on or not.

It has 4 programs per day Monday to Friday, and 4 programs for Saturday and Sunday.

This means that you can heat the water from 4am to 6am so that it is ready for your morning demand, and again at 4pm to 6pm for your evening demand.

In between, it is off, so that you do not heat the water 10 hours before you need it. The temperature in the tank will be lower, so it will lose less to the environment.

 

You can see how low you really need to have your geyser temperature set at each setting.

For example if you only have a quick shower in the morning, you can set the temperature to 43 degrees, and only use the hot tap. If you have a greater demand in the evening, then set the temperature to 55 degrees, and mix it with cold water in the bath/shower.

Either way you will save electricity, money and the environment.

 

There is an instant override button to allow the element to go on immediately until the desired temperature is reached.

The timer costs R1000 - R1300 installed, and we can install it, or get an electrician to do it for you.